Submersible pump



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Feb. 28, 1961 min. \h.

H. RICHTER EI'AL SUBMERSIBLE PUMP Filed March 21, 1957 INVENTOR. HARALD RICHTER YCARLO KURTZ f n- ATTORNEY SUBMERSIBLE PUMP Harald Richter, 3 Rotwandstrasse, Grosshesselohe, near Munich, and arlo Kurtz, 23 Waldstrasse, Lingen an der Ems, Germany Filed Mar. 21, 1957, Ser. No. 647,731

Claims. (Cl. 103-46) This invention relates to a submersible pump, especially suited for pumping oil out of deep wells.

Mainly three types of pumps have formerly been used for this purpose.

(1) The plunger pump.-This pump has numerous disadvantages. It is actuated by pump spears (sucker rods) being moved up and down within the well shaft and being driven by means above the ground. In order for the plunger pump to operate efiectively, the well shaft must be drilled about perpendicularly. If the well shaft deviates from the vertical, the pump spears which are moving up and down within the well shaft, will always be the cause of trouble. Fuither disadvantages of this pump are that on account of the pump spears, pipes of larger diameter must be used, and that an extraordinary high driving power is required due to the great weight of the pump spears (sucker rods).

(2) The centrifugal pump.-These pumps may be driven from above the ground as well as from underground. The disadvantage in using this type of pump resides in the fact that it is not suitable for pumping relatively small volumes up to great heights as is the case in delivering oil.

(3) The diaphragm pump.The disadvantages mentioned in connection with the plunger pump are to be avoided by using this type of pump. It is driven from underground and thus does not need a vertical well shaft. As there are no pump spears the pipes forming the shaft may be of smaller diameter, and furthermore the required driving power is considerable less. However, this pump has the disadvantage that its efficiency decreases as the depth of the well increases, so that it cannot be used for great depths.

With a pump according to the invention these disadvantages are avoided. One object of the invention is to provide a deep well pump which delivers substantially equal amounts of fluid with a minimum of power consumed yet providing a constant safety of operation. The pump of this invention furthermore requires a well shaft of small diameter only, which is independent of the depth of the well and independent of whether the well hole runs vertical or whether it deviates from the vertical within the limits of the flexibility of the pipes.

For this purpose the invention resides in the fact that an axial-piston pump of the well known type of Professor Thoma having arranged within a housing a control head, a cylinder block with a plurality of pistons, a tumbling disc to which the piston rods are fastened by means of ball joints, and that a drive motor is arranged at the end of its own delivery pipe being driven electrically from underground.

According to the invention the entire pump is arranged in an axial manner being fastened to the delivery pipe by means of its control head. By this measure the well hole may have a very small diameter.

Preferably, the control head may be provided with an extension having an inside thread and being screwed on to the delivery pipe. The outer periphery of the control Patented Feb. 28, 196i head shows a shoulder, which bears against a shoulder being provided inside-the housing, while a filter body being screwed into the upper end of the housing bears against the control head holding the latter securely.

The tumbling disc is constructed in a sleevelike fashion so as to let the drive shaft of the motor, which latter is arranged coaxially below the pump, pass through the tumbling disc and drive the cylinder block. The drive shaft shows a projection extending from the cylinder block which is journalled in the control head, the latter being secured against rotation by means of a key. Below the tumbling disc the drive shaft is journalled axially movable in bearings being arranged in a bearing housing which is screwed into the pump housing.

The bearing arrangement below the tumbling disc consists of a radial antifriction hearing which is held by the bearing housing, and an axial antifriction bearing being arranged below it and being held by a bearing sleeve which is axially movable, but secured against rotation by means of a key, the drive shaft with the cylinder block being forced against the control head by means of a compression spring being arranged below the bearing sleeve. Below the bearing sleeve a sealed pressure chamber is provided which is connected to the delivery duct by means of channels leading through the control head and through the drive shaft. By means of this the cylinder block will always be forced against the control head with a nearly constant pressure, i.e. with the pressure exerted by the compression spring.

The bearing arrangement of the tumbling disc comprises an axial double ball bearing, the middle race of which having a larger diameter than the upper and lower race and being secured against rotating, is firmly kept in the desired tilted position between an upper and a lower tilting ring. The upper and the lower tilting rings are firmly held together by upper and lower distance sleeves which are pressed together by the bearing housing being screwed into the pump housing, thus tightly clamping the middle race between the upper and the lower tilting ring. Preferably, the motor housing is screwed into the bearing housing.

These and additional objects and advantages will be apparent -by reference to the following description and annexed drawing which shows a preferred embodiment of the invention. It is to be clearly understood, however, that various changes in the apparatus shown, may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through the pump according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a section along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The submersible axial piston pump shown in Fig. l operates according to the well known principle of the axial piston pump system Professor Thoma. Contrary to the principle of Prof. Thoma the pump according to the invention shows a directly driven cylinder block 1 having an upper inverted conical surface. Within the cylinder block 1 a plurality of pistons 2 are operating which with connecting rods 3 are connected with the tumbling disc 5 by means of ball joints 4. The connecting rods 3 are connected with the pistons 2 by means of joints and take the tumbling disc 5 along, when the cylinder block 1 is being rotated. By means of the oblique position of the tumbling disc 5 the pistons 2 are moved up and down. This stroke is proportional to the sine of the angle at at which the tumbling disc 5 is tilted. The oblique position ofthe tumbling disc 5 is achieved by a special axial bearing 6 which is designed in such a way, that it will also take up radial forces. The axial bearing 6 is a double ball bearing, the middle race 7 of which has a larger diameter than the upper and the lower race 8 and 9, respectively. The middle race 7 is firmly kept in its position by means of an upper and a lower ring 10 and 11,

respectively. 7 H H i H m,

The two rings l il and 11 are provided with a longitudinal key way 12 into which a key 'iA projects being fastened on the housing 13 while the rings 10 and 11 a1'e being fixedly held in their positionsbymeans of thetwo distance sleeves 15 and 16. u M p v v The stroke of the pistons and thus the delivery volume of the pump may be varied by exchanging and installing rings having a different angle a. v u

The upper inverted conical surface ofjcylinder block]. is' provided with a pair of arcuate slots 18 and 19 which are arranged in an axial direction and cb-axially to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder block. Theslots are each seen to communicate with the upper portion of a cylinder in the blockabove a piston 2. The lower surface of control head 17 is conical and shaped to mate with the upper inverted cone of the cylinder block. The faxed control head 17 is provided with a channel 20 and a channel 22. The annular slot 18 and the underlying cylinder is connected to the suction chamber 21 by means of channel 2%), while annular slot 19 and underlying cylinder 'is connected to the delivery pipe duct 23 by means of channel 22. v

The entire pump, including the electric motor, is suspended from the delivery duct 23 by means of the eontrol head 17 in such a way, that the control head 17 is provided with an extension 24 having an internal thread 25 which is screwed onto the delivery duct 23. I Within the pump housing 13 there has been provided a shoulder 26 against which a shoulder 27 of the control head 17 bears. At the upper end the pump housing 13 shows an internal thread 28 into which a filter 29 is screwed, thus pressing the control head 17 with its shoulder 27 against the shoulder 26 within the pump housing 13. A key 30 being fastened to the pump housing 13 projects into a longitudinal key way 31 of the control head 17 and prevents the latter from rotating.

An essential feature of the invention may be seen in that the drive for the cylinder block 17 passes throughthe tumbling disc 5. By this measure it ispossible to arrange the motor remote of the control head 17 with respect to the cylinder block 1 and thus co-axially with the entire pump arrangement. The upper end 33 of the drive shaft 32 projects from the cylinder block 1 and is journalle d in a bearing 34 being arranged in the control head 17. The lower end of the drive shaft 32 is journalled below -the tumbling disc 5 in a radial bearing 35 which is arranged in a bearing housing 36. The axial forces are taken up by an axial bearing 37 which is held in a bearing sleeve 38. A key 39 has been fastened to the bearing housing 36 and projects into a key way 40 of the bearing sleeve 38 in such a way that the bearing sleeve 33 is allowed to move in an axial direction, but prevented from rotating. Below the bearing sleeve 38 a chamber 41 is provided, which is sealed in the upward direction by a seal ring 42 arranged between the bearing housing 38, and by another seal ring 43 arranged between the bearing housing 36 and the bearing sleeve 38. The seal rings 42 and 43 are kept in place by a disc 44 and this by means of a pressure spring, preferably a plate spring 45, which is forcing the ring 43 and thus the bearing sleeve 38, including the drive shaft 32, and the cylinder block 1 upwardly against the control head. With its lower end the spring 45 bears against a disc 46. The disc 46 is provided with a shoulder 47 which bears against a shoulder 48 of the bearing housing 36. By means of the motor housing 49 .screwed into the bearing housing 36 the disc 46 is pressed with its shoulder 47 against the shoulder 48 of the bearing housing 36. Between'the shoulders 47 and'48 a seal ring 50 is provided. In the passage of the drive shaft 32 through the disc 46 a seal ring 51 is provided, so that an oiltight chamber is provided between the axially movable bearing sleeve 38 and the disc-i5. The compression spring 45 has been dimensioned so that the cylinder block 1 is pressed against the control head 17 with the desired pressure. In order to avoid that the cylinder block 1 is pushed away from the control head 17 when the pressure increases, the control head 17 is provided with a central bore '52 which leads to a central longitudinal bore 53 of the drive shaft 32. The bore 53 extends down info the fegion of the chamber 41 and is connected to the lat't'er'by'me'ans of a transverse bore 54. By ine'a'ns of this arrangement the pressure within the delivery pipe 23 is transferred to the chamber 41 below the bearing sleeve 38, thus creating an equilibrium of pressure, so that the cylinder 1 will always be forced with constant pressure, exerted by the spring 45, against the control head 17.

The motor (not shown) is connected to the drive shaft 32 by means of a coupling 55 known per se. The motor must not'neces sarily'be arr angedbelow the cylinder block 1, it may alsob'e arranged above the control head 17. In this 'case'the inlet and outlet channels 20 or 22, respectively, must pass alongside of the motor.

'What we claim is:

l. A submersible pump comprising a housing adapted for connection to the lower end of a filter body and the like in a well bore, a cylinder block having a plurality of cylinders mounted for rotation within said housing, a plurality of pistons disposed for reciprocal movement within said cylinders, a tumbling disc operably connected to said pistons adapted to impart reciprocal movement thereto, a control head fixedly mounted within said housing including an inlet and outlet disposed for communication with said cylinders, and a delivery pipe communicating with said outlet, a drive shaft having drive means at one end thereof and with said shaft eittending through said cylinder block for rotation thereof and said shaft be ing disposed at its'opp'osite end for rotation in journaled relation 'to said control head, and a bearing arrangement for said oneend oft'he drive shaft having a radial bearing, an axial bearing disposed below said radial bearing including a bearing sleeve, said sleeve being secured agains't'rotation and being movable in an axial direction, and said bearing arrangement further including bias means disposed below said be'aring sleeve adapted to urge and urg- 'ing'the drive shaft into the journal of said control head.

2. A submersible pump as set forth in claim 1 wherein a sealed pressure chamber is provided below the bearing sleeve and the drive shaft is provided with a bore communicating said chamber with the discharge outlet of the control head whereby an equal pressure is applied to drive shaft bearings.

Asubm'ersiblepump as set forth in claim 1 wherein said tumbling disc includes a bearing arrangement having an axial double ball bearing, the middle race thereof being of a larger diameter than the outer races, said middle race being secured against rotation with respect to the pump housing and said bearing further being positioned in an oblique position with respect to a diameter of said housing, an upper and lower tilting ring to either side of the bearing holding said bearing and tumbling disc in the desired oblique position, and the lower tilting ring being secured against rotation with respect to the pump housing.

4. A submersible pump in accordance with claim 3 in which distance sleeves are provided above and below the tilting rings and the tilting rings are clamped together securing the middle race therebetween against relative rotation with respect to the pump housing. I I

5, A submersible pump as set forthin claim 4 wherein the housing comprises the pump housing, bearing housing and motor housing threadedly attached to the other and the pump housing being adapted'to threadedly receive the control head. 7

V 6. A submersible pump as set forth in claim 5 wherein the upper ndpf-sziid housing providedwith an intern. in-

nal thread and a shoulder, a shoulder is provided on the outer periphery of the control head, which shoulder bears against the shoulder provided on the inside of the housing and said filter body is screwed into the upper end of the housing bearing against the control head clamping the latter in fixed position.

7. In a submersible pump having a housing, a stationary control head including an inlet and outlet therein, a cylinder block journaled in said housing having one side in abutment with a mating side of said control head and including a plurality of cylinders with pistons disposed for reciprocation within said cylinders, an annular tumbling disc journaled for rotation in said housing being operably connected to said pistons and adapted to impart reciprocal movement thereto, a drive shaft extending through said tumbling disc and being connected to said cylinder block, said drive shaft having drive means at one end thereof to impart rotation to said cylinder block, the combination therewith of a bearing sleeve disposed on one side of said tumbling disc opposite said control head with the drive shaft journaled for rotation therein, and with a sealed pressure chamber disposed adjacent one end of said drive shaft, said drive shaft including a channel leading between said chamber and the outlet to establish equalized pressure on opposed sides of the control head and cylinder block.

8. Ina submersible pump according to claim 7 wherein said drive shaft projects beyond the cylinder block and is journaled for rotation in the control head.

9. In a submersible pump according to claim 7 wherein said drive shaft is journaled in an axially movable manner Within said bearing sleeve, said bearing sleeve being threadably attached to the housing.

10. In a submersible pump according to claim 8 wherein there is provided a radial bearing disposed Within said housing above said bearing sleeve, an axial bearing an ranged within said bearing sleeve, the latter being secured against rotation by means of a key in such a way that the bearing sleeve is free to move in an axial direction, and bias means positioned below said bearing sleeve adapted to urge said drive shaft into the journal of the control head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS- 1,845,179 Penrod Feb. 16, 1932 2,032,000 Brown et a1 Feb. 25, 1936 2,565,208 Dietiker Aug. 21, 1951 2,589,669 Coberly Mar. 18, 1952 2,737,899 Bonnette et al. Mar. 13, 1956 2,776,628 Keel Jan. 8, 1957 2,781,775 Merrill Feb. 19, 1957 2,859,702 Cotner Nov. 11, 1958 

